Nebulizer



Jan. 5 ,1926. V

' T. J. HOLMES NEBULI 2ER Filed June l'7,` 1922 Patented Jan. 5, 1926.

UNITED STAT-Es PATENT-1 opff.:PCE;.

. THGMAS J'. HOLMES,` OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTSJ l. NEBULIzna. i

Application led `TuneV 17, 1922. `Sterial No. 569,148..

,tionl being such as.,` to permit ofyeasy manipulation and cleaning. Provision is ,also made, for eifectually sealing the openings in thestopper or closure to'prevent leakage of the liquid contents from the container off-vapor. y n Y Y `It will be understood that a nebulizer of this type is not intended to act like an ordinaryatomizer such as is usedto deliver liquid in a` iinely divided spray, but is constructed and arranged to deliver ay jet or stream of air which is saturated or vcharged with the vapor of the liquidl used in the con- Generally speaking the invention is characteized by a compressed air duct arranged inoperative atomizing relationto a liquidsupply, passage so as to draw a supply of liquid from the'body of liquid in the container'and discharge it ina finely atomized condition into the interior of the container above the liquid level, in combination with adischarge or delivery tube whose intake isi-above the liquid level and is adapted to discharge the vaporfladen air outside of the bottleinany direction that may be desired.

Furtherfjffeatures include the arrangement for regulating the spray and for tightly sealing the device against leakage when not nviuse. t i.

`In the .Y accompanying draw-ings I have illustrated a simple and convenientpiorm of construction and arrangement illustrating the principles of this invention, in which: f Figure'vl is ak vertical central section of the complete assembled device ready for use.

Figure 2 is ya similar section of one side of the device in a 'plane at right angles to that of Figure 1 to illustrate the course of the liquid to the atomizing orifice. yIn thepractice of this invention, according to the form illustrated in the drawings, I provide awliquid container of any and for conveniently regulating the delivery suitable construction such as a` bottle 0r" fiask 1, which maybe provided withseiew threads for firmly but detachablysecuring4 thereto vthe closure/or stoppermember 2, which carries the vvo'rki` Whichthe desired result is e elements",` by" n ected, the vsto'plf per 2, .belng provided with internal scr'evif'` threads, is in this case shown at"2?,for

tightly drawing, against thelopenffneck" of the bottle. ,f y y K On one sidethestpper bodyf'2', is 'provided with a projectingnipplef3,'adapte`d i to forma lconnection with' an air-compress`y ing'bulb or 'equivalent source of compressed a1rsupply. This nipple is lprovided with' an kinterior bore shown at 4, which cmmunicates with a vertical passage 5,throufghy Which the liquid is discharged. into the up,n per portion ofthe device. ,Thestopper body 2, is provided with a central borewhich is internally screw threadednsshown atf "6'to form interlocking engagement 'with externally :threaded valve plug 7, and ispformed with two tapered or frustro-conical valve seats 8 and 10 against which simultaneously tapered surfaces 9 and 11 of the valve plug abut when'the valve is screwed tightly to the valve seats. The. liquid supply VVtube 13 is! inserted in the stopperbody so as to allow its lower or intake end to extend fairlyclose to the bottom of the container and' consequently below the "level of the liquid body therein.' It communicates withl the central` bore 6, of the valve plug throughf'a lateral passage or port 12, Whichisin communicationwithan annular channel 17, formed by externally grooving the valve plug' opposite the exhaust opening of the duct or liquid supply passage 13. The annular groove 17,

is formed in order that the port 12, may al 'Ways be in communication With Athe liquid supply pipe whatever the position1 of adjustment for use the valve plug may assume.

The extreme lower end of the valve plug forms a Vnozzle for lthe discharge of liquid which acts as an inspirator by reason of the column of a1r dlscharglng around `its exterior and, therefore, acts to draw4 or suck the "liquid through the supply pipe 13,'and break it up into a line spray mingled with the air as it discharges froml the nozzle.

In consequence of thisarrangement there is discharged into the upper end of the bottle a .stream of compressed air highly charged with vapor Which finds its exit `through the outletftor "discharge tube "141, whose intake end is above the body of the liquid and Whose outer end is also preferably screw threaded and provided with a tapered valve seat 18 which can be tightly sealed by the tapered valve plug 15 which, for convenience, is permanently connected with the device by a flexible connection such as a chain 16, which does not interfere with the screwing and unscrewing of the sealing plug.

The valve seats 8 and 10, and their corresponding tapered valve surfaces 11 and 9, are so arranged and proportioned that both valve surfaces seat simultaneously when the valve plug is tightened with the result that no liquid can escape through the air passage 4, or through the central bore containing the valve plug even if the bottle .be 1nverted. The discharge nozzle 18 is, ot course, closed by its sealing plug 15, to prevent leakage through the discharge tube. With this arrangement it is possible to throw the' device containinga suitable supply of liquid into a bag without danger of leakage of the contents, and yet the device is ready for instant use and by its construction and arrangement is not only easy to keep clean but affords a strong and copious discharge of thoroughly saturated or charged air.

That I claim is:

1. A liquid nebulizer embracing in its construction a stopper forming a closure for a liquid container provided with a downwardly dischargeing liquid-atomizing chamber having a conical wall affording a valve seat, and having a compressed air duct discharging through said conical wall, a rotatably axially adjustable valve plug having a tapered surface adapted to tightly engage said wall and seal the air-discharging passage, a liquid supply tube whose intake end is submerged in the liquid in the container and which communicates at its other end with the atomizing chamber through said valve plug, substantially as described.

2. A. nebulizer for liquids embracing an atomizing stopper body adapted to form a closure for a liquid container, said body being formed with an atomizing chamber and being provided with a duct for leading compressed air to said chamber, a liquid supply tube whose intake end is submerged in the liquid in the container and whose discharge end communicates with said atomizing chamber, and an externally projecting regulating and sealing plug axially adjustable by rotation to seal said air passage against communication with the atomizing chamber and to seal the stopper against leakage of the liquid around said plug, and a sealable vapor discharging tube secured to said stopper, substantially as described.

3. A nebulizer for liquids embracing in its construction a centrally bored stopper body adapted to form a closure for a liquid container, the inner end of said bored passage forming an atomizing chamber. said stopper being also provided with a compressed air passage leading into said atomizing chamber and with a liquid supply tube whose lower end is submerged in the liquid in the container and :whose upper end conimunicates with said atomizing chamber, a rotatable axially adjustable valve plug provided with two conical valve suriaces adapted to seat against corresponding conical seats formed in the stopper body to seal` rcsj'iectively, the con'ipressed air passage and the centrally bored passage when the nebulizer is not in use` said stopper being` provided with a wiper-discharge pasasge whose intake end is located above the level of the liquid in the container. substantially described.

l-. A nebulizer embracing in its construction, a liquid container, a stopper body termed with an air inlet and vapor discharge ducts comn'ulnicating with the exterior ot' the container, and having an internal liquid supply duct coordinated with the air duct to form an internal atomizer. an externally projecting valve plug arranged to regulate the atomizing action in order to control the vaporizing action and the delivery of vapor-charged air through the discharge duct, substantially as described.

A nebulizer embracing in its construction. a liquid container. a vaporizing stopper body lormed with an opening tor a valve plug, a compressed air duct discharging into the inner end of said opening, a vapor discharge tube, a valve plug adjustably mounted in said openingr to control and shut oli the discharge ofair through the inner end ol the opening said plug being provided with an internal liquid duct communicating with a liquid supply pipe, substantially as described.

(i. A nebulizer embracing in its construction, a liquid container, a vaporizing stopper body formed with an opening for a valve plug, a compressed air duct discharg ing into the inner end ot said opening, a vapor discharge tube, a valve plug adjust-- ably mounted in said opening to control and shut oli the discharge of air through the inner end of the opening, said plug being provided with an internal liquid duct communicating with a liquid supply pipe, and having valve surfaces disposed to seat against cooperating surfaces of the stopper body to tightly seal the air duct and the valve plug opening against the. escape of liquid, substantially as described.

T. A nebulizer embracing in its construction` a liquid container and its stopper body. a discharge tube Ator discharging vaporeharged air 'from the container, said stopper body being provided with air and liquid supply passages coordinated to form an atomizer for delivering a fine spray into the interior of the container, a valve plug having axial adjustment in an opening formed through the stopper body to regulate the atomizing action, said plug being formed and arranged to tightly seal its receiving opening and the air duct against the escape of liquid from the container, substantially as described.

' 8. yA nebulizer embracing in its construction, a liquid container and a stopper body therefor, va vapor discharge tube, and an axially adjustable valve plug mounted in an opening through said stopper body and having inner and outer conical valve faces, said stopper body being provided with an air supply passage and with a liquid supply passage having discharge outlets adjacent to the inner end of the valve plug respectively to form an atomizing nozzle discharging into the container, and being also provided with conical valvek seats arranged to cooperate With said conical valve faces to seal the stopper against escape of the liquid and a sealing device `for closing the outer end ofl the vapor discharge tube, substantially as described,

In Witness whereof, I have subscribed the above specification.

THOMAS J. HOLMES. 

